Harbaugh, Kaepernick are cordial but don't reveal much in answers

Updated 2:38 am, Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Frank Gore speaks to the press as the 49ers attended media day at the Super Dome in New Orleans, La., on Tuesday, January 29, 2013, as part of the Super Bowl festivities.

Frank Gore speaks to the press as the 49ers attended media day at the Super Dome in New Orleans, La., on Tuesday, January 29, 2013, as part of the Super Bowl festivities.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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Michael Crabtree answers questions from the press as The 49ers attended media day at the Super Dome in New Orleans, La., on Tuesday, January 29, 2013, as part of the Super Bowl festivities.

Michael Crabtree answers questions from the press as The 49ers attended media day at the Super Dome in New Orleans, La., on Tuesday, January 29, 2013, as part of the Super Bowl festivities.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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Colin Kaepernick smiles as he answers questions from the press as the 49ers attended media day at the Super Dome in New Orleans, La., on Tuesday, January 29, 2013, as part of the Super Bowl festivities.

Colin Kaepernick smiles as he answers questions from the press as the 49ers attended media day at the Super Dome in New Orleans, La., on Tuesday, January 29, 2013, as part of the Super Bowl festivities.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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Colin Kaepernick, listening to a reporter's question, was matter-of-fact in his responses.

Colin Kaepernick, listening to a reporter's question, was matter-of-fact in his responses.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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The 49ers' A.J. Jenkins and Brian Jennings (86) are surrounded by a mass of humanity during Media Day in the Superdome.

The 49ers' A.J. Jenkins and Brian Jennings (86) are surrounded by a mass of humanity during Media Day in the Superdome.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

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At Media Day, Jim Harbaugh dealt with the usual questions about facing his brother, John, the Ravens' head coach.

At Media Day, Jim Harbaugh dealt with the usual questions about facing his brother, John, the Ravens' head coach.

As it turns out, Harbaugh handled his one-hour Super Bowl Media Day duty in much the same way he handles most news conferences: He gave cordial non-answers to questions he didn't like, constantly credited his players and offered a few memorable sound bites.

For example, his thoughts on social media?

"My personal opinion is, it's a time drain," Harbaugh said. "A lot of time is used on the Facebooking and the Tweeter and things like that. It seems unnecessary, though. It just seems like a modern-day diary."

Harbaugh, of course, was peppered with questions about coaching against his brother, Baltimore's John Harbaugh, on Sunday. The queries ranged from their boyhood brawls to, in true media-day fashion, his potential concern that John could read his mind.

"No," Harbaugh said. "Worried about a lot of things, but I have not noticed that he has any clairvoyant powers."

Asked another question about his brother later, Harbaugh turned the focus to his team with Shakespearean flair, quoting a "Henry V" line also used in "Band of Brothers."

"There's no question that it's very exciting playing against my brother, John," Harbaugh said. "The thing I also think about is the San Francisco 49ers, our players. They're my brothers. For he who sheds his blood with me today shall be my brother. I feel that about our players, I felt that and still do about our Stanford players and our USD (University of San Diego) players. This is their time. This game is about them playing with their brothers."

Meanwhile, quarterback Colin Kaepernick, like his coach, stayed in form in the face of the media barrage. Described as "a man of enough words" by Harbaugh this season, Kaepernick rarely added any unnecessary syllables for the flotilla of cameras.

What makes a good read-option quarterback? Kaepernick broke it down succinctly: "You need to be able to run and you need to be able to read the defense," he offered.

Asked if he would remain in the pocket more against Baltimore's defense, however, Kaepernick did provide a memorable quote.

"If I was worried about my health," he said, "I wouldn't be playing football."